By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
File Photo:Adv.Ndumisa Ntsebeza (Left) and Judge Lutendo Sigogo (Right).
Acting Judge of the High Court in Mpumalanga and a member of the Judicial Service Commission, Lutendo Sigogo, has passed away due to COVID-19 complications.
Forty-nine-year-old Sigogo died at a hospital in Polokwane on Saturday.
Family spokesperson Lindelani Sigogo says they are sad and still in shock.
“Yesterday morning (Saturday) we received the sad news that our beloved brother Lutendo Benedict Sigogo was called by God. He passed on at Medi Clinic hospital in Polokwane with COVID-19 complications where he was admitted for the past week. As the family, we are still reeling with pain and shock.”
Among the positions Sigogo held were president of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces in 2017, chairperson of the finance and HR committee of the Legal Practice Council, chairperson of the Enforcement Committee of the BBBEE Commission, president of the Black Lawyers Association, and chairperson of the Thohoyandou Attorneys Association.
After 20 years of legal practice, Sigogo was appointed as an acting judge in the Mpumalanga High Court, where he served for 44 weeks.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said that Sigogo was a formidable advocate for transformation in the legal profession, having begun practising as a candidate attorney between 1995 and 1997 with the University of Venda Legal Aid Clinic.
“He went on to fulfil significant roles in various forums of the legal profession. We have lost [a] dedicated champion of transformation. His contributions will undoubtedly form the pillars of a representative and accessible service to our people. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved family during this period of mourning,” Lamola said on Sunday.
Sigogo is survived by his wife and five children.